RJ Decker just premiered on ABC, but is it worth checking out for crime show fans?
Caution: This article contains SPOILERS for the RJ Decker pilot
The new ABC crime drama opened by showing RJ Decker (Scott Speedman) facing a trial for attacking a state senator’s son who broke into his car. He bantered with a woman (Jaina Lee Ortiz) before a steamy hookup in a car. RJ then went into court…only for that woman to take the stand as Emilia, the stepsister of the guy RJ beat up. One emotional and perjury-filled testimony later, and Decker was sentenced to jail.
A year and a half later, RJ is now working as a private eye with a trailer at the beach and is friendly with his former cellmate Aloysius “Wish” Aiken (Kevin Rankin), who owns a bar. A wild bit is when a sinkhole swallows up his trailer, so RJ briefly rooms with his ex-wife, Catherine Delacroix (Adelaide Clemens), and her new wife, Detective Melody “Mel” Romero (Bevin Bru). The trio are on good terms and the two women nicely support RJ in his endeavors.
The main thrust of the pilot is RJ hearing that a woman was found dead in the trunk of her car, just like what happened to Maya, a former co-worker of RJ’s when he was a news photographer. In an emotional talk with Mel, RJ shared that photographing the body of a friend shook him so hard he quit his job. He was still upset when that senator’s son accosted him, causing RJ to attack him.
RJ is convinced this is the work of Maya’s husband, a local billionaire who practically everyone in Florida thinks killed his wife; they just can’t prove it. RJ believes the guy had this woman killed to make it look like Maya was the victim of a serial killer.
It goes without saying that it ends with RJ solving the case and still living with Catherine and Mel. A major turn was Emilia suddenly popping in to help RJ with evidence, seemingly wanting to make amends, and they clearly have a strange chemistry.
It was a fun premiere, so is the show worth watching?
RJ Decker is based on a novel by Carl Hiaasen, and it shows the author’s trademark dark humor and tackling of the bizarre Florida atmosphere. Some scenes are nice and bright, others dark and moody, and they combine into a show unlike other ABC procedurals. Emilia sums it up to RJ as "You and this place, you were made for each other.”
Speedman is fantastic as Decker. He’s a wisecracking type, yet the pain of that loss and his prison time haunts him and gives him a darker edge. It makes sense he has an eye for details from his photography experience and allows him to piece things together. Speedman has a natural chemistry with just about everyone else in the cast, especially Ortiz. She seems contrite about screwing over RJ to protect her family name, with him calling her out on how sleeping with him wasn’t part of the plan. If they continue their relationship, the sparks can fly further.
The rest of the cast is also great, as RJ is so natural with Catherine and Mel, acting more like friends than exes. Catherine is more laid-back, while Mel is far tougher yet willing to bend the rules to help RJ out. Wish gets a nice highlight with his backstory that he was wrongfully imprisoned and, thanks to RJ, was released earlier than his sentence otherwise would have been. That led him to impulsively buy a lottery ticket and win a million dollars, which explains why he’s there to help RJ in any way.
It’s Speedman’s show, and like other ABC procedural leads, he’s fabulous in the role. Tellingly, at the end of the episode, RJ tells Catherine not to credit him in the story as he prefers to keep under the radar, showing his humility and how it’s about the case more than himself.
The series is just getting started, but it seems to carry the air of classic mystery shows like The Rockford Files. That Florida setting is what makes it stand out and offers limitless potential for singular cases. There are also the small touches, like how RJ somehow just knows everyone around him and rolls with the strangeness.
Thus, ABC has yet another fabulous crime show with a compelling lead to add to its slate, and RJ Decker is already one of the best new shows of 2026 and a must-watch for any crime show fan.
RJ Decker airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on ABC.